Originally Posted by
skidder
90W gear oil. Bought a little too much last time I filled the manual transmission on an old VW bug I used to own, so tried using a bit of the leftovers on a bicycle chain and it seems to do the job quite nicely. You can buy a bottle at any auto parts store. Extra: I clean and re-lube my bicycles' chains about once a month.
I mix gear lube with 3 parts odorless mineral spirits. It makes a great chain lube because it penetrates fully and then the solvent evaporates leaving only lube. You can apply drop by drop and then wipe but I literally flood the chain while pedaling the bike in the stand, and then wipe completely. This method slurries up all the road grit on the chain and so when you wipe it, you've cleaned the chain as well. I do this every 350-400 miles and I get great mileage from my very quiet chains. Besides gear lube, many use this same approach with motor oil.